Apalachee Audubon

The Newsletter Of The Apalachee Audubon Society, Inc.

Vol. 104, no. 3 www.apalachee.org January & February 2004

Happy New Year!

We hope you survived the holidays in good form. Please note that this newsletter is for two months, January and
February, and that the details of the programs for both of these months are below. As you can see, we are starting
the new year with two great speakers and we are particularly pleased to have Senator Al Lawson. Let’s have a
good turnout for these two important programs.

Program Highlights
Thursday, January 22rd
Eric Draper: Everglades – Beauty and Abundance Restored
The great flocks of wandering wading birds may get a chance to come back if Everglades restoration can be trans-
formed from a promise to a workable plan. The challenges of rerouting water, maintaining and recovering scores
of protected species and winning the race against South Florida population growth and development make Ever-
glades restoration an ambition that seems too big even for its advocates.

Eric Draper is conservation director for Audubon of Florida. He directs Audubon’s Everglades team and lobbies
the Legislature for funds and policies to restore the great ecosystem. His presentation will describe the progress
and challenges of achieving Audubon’s goal of making abundant birdlife the true measure of restoration.
Thursday, February 26
Senator Al Lawson: Guarding North Florida’s Water for our Future
The Tallahassee area is fortunate to be represented in the Florida Senate by Al Lawson. Unlike many other legis-
lators, Senator Lawson has spent his life near and in our community. His service reflects a deep-felt sense of
place. It is that sense of place that led him to author, as then Chairman of the House Natural Resources Commit-
tee, one of the most important pieces of environmental legislation ever crafted—Preservation 2000. That single
act raised $3 billion and resulted in the protection of over 1 ½ million acres of Florida conservation lands. He
also authored and passed the Apalachicola Bay Protection Act. He has been a champion of state employees, pub-
lic school teachers and the working people of rural communities. He has fought hard to win pay raises and bene-
fits for state employees, and has been instrumental in improving the quality of life for children and the elderly. He
also played a major role in the Rosewood legislation, providing retribution to survivors of the infamous Rose-
wood massacre in the 1930’s.
Senator Lawson now chairs the Senate Natural Resources Committee and in that capacity has taken a stand for
the environment in face of recent water supply controversies. He has made good use of his committee role to
reach out to citizens across the state with public hearings that rallied opposition to the recent Council of 100 pro-
posal to allow water to be taken from North Florida to stimulate new development in South Florida. He has now
sponsored SJR 488 (a companion bill by Representative Curtis Richardson has been filed in the House) to set a
uniform tax rate for water management districts. This will allow the Northwest Florida Water Management Dis-
trict to have a budget up to the task of managing and protecting the Panhandle’s valuable water resources.

Please join us for these important presentations.

 Welcome New Members
Karen Wensing – Membership Chair
Apalachee Audubon welcomes the fol-
lowing new members: Barbara
Ahringer, Don Axelrad, Ernie Barnett,
Kathie Beck, Victoria Brisend, Turner
Browne, Shelby Bryant, Kay Christen-
sen, Jamie L. Christoff, Jean C. Crom-
bie, Nancy H. Dennis, Jim/Donna Dun-
kin, Vernetta Fairley, Pamela E. Flory,
Richard Gragg, Elliott D. Healy, G.B.
Kadzis, Chris Kelsch, Chelsie Levitan,
Glenn Mayne, Maralee Miller, W.W.
Mulherin, Mary Lou Rajchel, Irene
Rodriguez, Kim Sash, Joseph L. Shea,
Kirsten Simonsen, Bridget Warring,
Eric/Ellie Westbrook and S.R.Withrow.
In addition, we are pleased that Mia
Adreani, Glenn E. Bayfield, Kent/
Melissa Griffin, Ada Pugh and Henry
Woodward have recently transferred
into our chapter. Thank you also to
those who have recently renewed their
memberships.
We hope that you will enjoy the chap-
ter’s programs and field trips this year.
Check the back of the newsletter for
details. Remember that Chapter board
meetings are open to the membership.
Call or email a board member if you are
interested. (Phones and email addresses
are listed in this newsletter.)
Please share any ideas you have for
chapter activities with any of the offi-
cers or board members. The chapter is
(always) recruiting volunteers from a
wide range of interests and talents. No
special training is required. If you
would like to attend an association ori-
entation session, please call me.
Help Scientists Track
Visit our remodeled Bird Shop & Bird Window.
We carry a complete line of wild bird supplies and
quality bird seeds.
2911 Thomasville Rd., Tallahassee, FL 32312
(850) 385-2162
Birds in the Big Bend
The 2004 Great Backyard Bird
Count will be conducted from Feb-
ruary 13th - 16th. This count, organ-
ized by the National Audubon Soci-
ety and the Cornell Laboratory of
Ornithology, is a snapshot of where
the birds are throughout North
America during the coldest period
of the winter. Everyone’s contribu-
tion is valuable whether it is a few
birds or many, because it all contrib-
utes to the big picture. Last year
more than 47,000 checklists were
submitted!
So how do you participate? Simply
count the birds in your backyard,
local park, or any natural area on
any of the four count days. Watch
your bird feeders, or take a short
walk (less than 1 mile) in your
neighborhood or park. To avoid
recounting the same bird as they
make repeated visits to your feeder,
for each species you identify, record
the highest number of individuals
seen at any one time. You should
devote at least fifteen minutes on the
days you participate but we recom-
mend doing it longer.
Details and background on the count
can be found on-line at www.
birdsource.org. This is where you
enter your results by using the
checklist for Florida. It also pro-
vides a map-room to see the results
across the entire continent. And
remember, have fun!
2
Officers
President: Open
Vice President: Eric Draper 222-2473
edraper@audubon.org
Treasurer: Harvey Goldman 385-5222
Goldman@hep.fsu.edu
Secretary: Jim Crews 577-0051
Past President: Larry Thompson
942-0058 lvthompson@earthlink.net
Board Members
Marvin Collins 224-9549
mcollins@nettally.com
Sally Jue 386-1393
dsjue@earthlink.net
Bill Lowrie 962-4138
blowrie@mindspring.com
Karen Wensing 386-7766
kwensing@mailer.fsu.edu
Bonnie Wright 386-3500
Bwright@electro-net.com
Committee Chairs
Conservation: Eric Draper
Chapter Rep to State Board: Larry
Thompson
Education: Ellen Shelton
Hospitality: Elizabeth Platt
Membership: Karen Wensing
Newsletter: Val Weeks 925-7981
vweeks@comcast.net
Publicity: Judy Goldman 385-5222
judygoldman@hep.fsu.edu
Population: Harvey Goldman
Field Trips: Marvin Collins
Programs: Marvin Collins
Past President: :Larry Thompson
Webmaster: Open
Ex-Officio, Sierra Liaison: Grayal Farr-
385-5732
St. Marks NWR Liaison: Robin Will-
877-9058
The Apalachee Audubon newsletter is
published 8 times yearly (Sept. –
May, except Dec.) by the Apalachee
Audubon Society, Inc., P.O. Box
1237, Tallahassee, FL 32302-1237.
This newsletter is printed on
partially recycled paper.
Mission Statement
Protection of the envi-
ronment through edu-
cation, appreciation and conserva-
tion.
High Stakes for North Florida’s Wa-
ter – Time for a New Panhandle
Boosterism
Eric Draper – Conservation Chair

The very notion that economic growth in Atlanta and

Tampa is more important than North Florida’s rivers and
springs rubs me the wrong way. There is a certain arro-
gance that is expressed in the idea that big growth econo-
mies are more desirable than those organized around hunt-
ing, fishing, boating and birdwatching.

Here is how the logic works. Atlanta is big and growing,

and lots of people are making lots of money. North Flor-
ida is still mostly rural and, while pretty, doesn’t have a lot
of get-rich opportunities. Therefore, Atlanta should have
first claim on most of the water that eventually drains into
the Apalachicola River. Apply the same logic to Tampa
and you get a similar conclusion, except with a pipeline to
our springs.
Atlanta-Tampa logic says sprawling, congested growth and
the opportunity it provides is the ideal ultimate goal. That
type of economy takes a lot of water from nature and gives
it back as polluted runoff and sewage effluent. The eco-
nomic boosters’ logic of growth at all cost defies common
sense.

One issue that unites residents of North Florida as much as Fortunately, Florida’s laws guard our springs and rivers
any other is the claim made by our more populous north- from both overuse and from long-distance transfer. The
ern and southern neighbors on the water that makes this principle “local sources first” has become a rallying cry for
area so special. That may be because many of us live in North Florida. If you listen to the people making the noise,
North Florida for very specific reasons that have little to the reason becomes obvious. They will say that you can’t
do with the economic imperatives of the cities to our north fish in a dry river or drink from an empty spring.
and south. That is Panhandle boosterism. Live here or visit for the
natural beauty and outdoors recreation, but leave our water
For me bicycling, birding and boating make Tallahassee alone.
nature based recreation ground zero. I can access the soli-
tude of water and woods in almost any direction. Yes, You can help protect Florida’s water for nature. Visit the
there is a trade-off in reduced opportunity. No Under- Audubon of Florida site www.audubonofflorida.org and
ground Atlanta or theme parks for me. No problem. sign up to receive the excellent Florida Conservation Ac-
tion Network’s Advocate reports.
North Florida is richer in culture, history and natural his-
tory than in investors and philanthropists. We are also
richer in water. Thus, the water envy. Many of us want
nothing of Atlanta and Tampa. Yet, their boosters want
cheap, accessible water that can continue their endless
growth. A report by the major developer-led Florida
Council of 100 even suggested paying North Florida com- NATIVE NURSERIES
munities for the water that the Council proposed taking to
promote South Florida sprawl. How generous!
The Store for Nature Lovers
The recent water debate reminds me of Killearn developer Native Plants Wildlife Gardening Bird Shop
J.T. Williams’ decision to abandon Tallahassee for At-
lanta. After turning 8000 acres of swamps and woods into See our newsletter at www.nativenurseries.com
sprawling subdivisions - congesting roads, crowding
schools, and polluting lakes in the process -Williams left (850) 386-8882
unsatisfied with Tallahassee’s business climate. Some
people think Atlanta is a better fit for a company that takes
1661 Centerville Rd.
credit on its website for "changing the way people live."
Tallahassee, FL 32308

3
 Monthly meetings, field trips, conservation activities and bird walks

Audubon Calendar
Monthly meetings are free and open to the public. They are held at the Fringe Benefits Management Company at
3101 Sessions Road. Leaving Tallahassee on North Monroe, turn left at the second stoplight beyond I-10 onto
Sessions Road, directly across from Sam’s Club and drive to the end of the road. Most evenings begin with an
informal social at 7:00 p.m., followed by the program at 7:30. Unless otherwise stated, field trips will depart from
the Wachovia Bank at 3400 S. Monroe Street (opposite the Fairgrounds). Note the time of departure in the de-
scription for each trip. For more info check out our web site at http://www.apalachee.org/calendar.html.

Saturday, January 17. Field trip to the Springhill Road Sewage Treatment Plant. Since the parking at the
plant is very limited, meet at 8:00 AM at the Wachovia Bank at 3400 S. Monroe to carpool. With a little luck
we should have an assortment of ducks and shorebirds and maybe a real rarity.
Thursday, January 22. Membership Program. Everglades – Beauty and Abundance Restored. See page one.
Saturday, February 21. Field trip to St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge. Meet at the Refuge Visitor’s Center
at 8:00 AM.
Thursday, February 26. Membership Program with special guest speaker, Senator Al Lawson. See page
one.
Saturday, March 20. Field trip. Details to be announced.
Thursday, March 25. Membership Program. "Freshwater Mussels of the Ochlockonee River". Holly Blalock-
Herod of the US Fish and Wildlife Service will present the fascinating and unique life history and ecology of
freshwater mussels, their status in the Ochlockonee River, and actions to recover these species.
Thursday, April 22. Membership Program. “Troubled Waters” - The Ochlockonee River and its interaction
with the lakes of Leon County presented by Dr. Sean McGlynn of the Ochlockonee River Soil and Water
Conservation District.
Thursday, May 27. Annual Banquet. Details to be announced.

Non-Profit
Apalachee Audubon Society, Inc. Organization
P.O. Box 1237 U.S. Postage
Tallahassee, FL 32302-1237 Paid
Permit No. 30
Tallahassee, FL

To check membership status, or to change address, call the National Audubon Society Office at 1-800-274-4201 or email
chadd@audubon.org